LG unveiled its premium V10 smartphone a couple of weeks back after multiple leaks in the media had already spilled the beans about the device and its hardware. The smartphone is currently available in South Korea but will be heading to the US, China and other key markets in the coming weeks. The premium device from LG with a unique dual front camera setup and a secondary display, has apparently found its way to Vietnam, where, a local company called Karalux has created a 24 karat gold-plated version of LG’s latest premium smartphone. The store of course, is known for its penchant for covering in gold, just about anything it can lay its hands on, including smartphones and even automobiles!
As for a quick intro on Karalux, these are the same guys who had previously gold plated a number of smartphones from different manufacturers, including Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5, Apple’s iPhone 6S and Blackberry’s Passport, just to name a few. The company is headquartered in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi, and is also known to have gold plated the chrome bits and alloy wheels on Rolls Royce Phantoms and Hummers previously. A posting on the company’s website says, “Karalux is a famous trademark gold-plating high-end gifts in Vietnam. Not only are we famous for gifting iPhone, Samsung, BlackBerry all over the world but we also are known as the pioneer in gold plating technology, specializing Rolls-Royce, BMW, Lexus. Especially, Karalux is also selected as a prestigious supplier of gifts for politicians, Heads of State, foreign partners, international travelers coming to Vietnam”.
Coming to the smartphone gold-plating process, the technical director at Karalux, Mr. Quang Tu, says that the entire process of gold plating a smartphone is generally a three to four hour undertaking. According to him, “Because the shell of LG V10 is made of stainless steel, the gold-plating process is quite easy and quick”. The metallic frames of smartphones apparently needs to be processed first, before applying a base undercoat to act as a primer to ensure better adhesion of the liquid gold to the stainless steel surface. Once the actual gold-plating was over and done with, a protective layer was applied on top for additional protection and increased durability. As for the price, the gold plating process reportedly costs 4 million Vietnamese Dong ($180), according to Karalux.